Mary Anns Eggplant Lasagne
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large white onion, peeled and minced
- 2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 firm medium eggplant, about 8 to 9 inches long
- Peanut oil, for frying
- 1/2 recipe Basic Egg Pasta, or 1/2 pound store-bought lasagne noodles
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and onion, and saute until soft.
- Lower the heat; add the tomatoes, water, wine, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
- Set aside.
- Wash and dry the eggplant.
- Cut into 15-inch lengthwise slices and place in layers in a colander.
- Sprinkle salt between the layers and let sit for 1 hour.
- Rinse and dry the eggplant slices with a towel.
- In a skillet, heat enough peanut oil to coat the bottom.
- Add a few eggplant slices at a time and saute quickly, about 2 minutes on each side, or until soft.
- Drain the pieces on brown paper.
- Set aside.
- If using homemade pasta, cut the dough into 3 pieces.
- Work with 1 piece at a time and roll the dough 1/8 inch thick.
- Cut 2 sheets from each piece to fit a 9- x 13-inch lasagne pan.
- Set aside on a floured towel in a single layer.
- In a large pot, bring about 8 quarts of water to the boil.
- Add a few homemade lasagne strips at a time and parboil for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the noodles to a waiting pan of ice water.
- This will cool the noodles and allow you to handle them.
- Continue cooking the remaining noodles in small batches.
- Drain the noodles on dry towels.
- (If using store-bought noodles, skip the parboiling step and layer the noodles uncooked.)
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the lasagne pan.
- Add a layer of lasagne strips.
- Cover the strips with 1/2 cup sauce.
- Add a layer of eggplant.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a layer of cheese.
- Spread 1/2 cup of sauce over the cheese.
- Make 2 more layers of lasagne strips, sauce, eggplant, salt and pepper, and cheese.
- Spread the top layer with 1 cup sauce.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.
extravirgin olive oil, clove garlic, white onion, tomatoes, water, red wine, fresh basil, sugar, salt, eggplant, peanut oil, recipe basic egg pasta, mozzarella cheese
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/mary-annrsquos-eggplant-lasagne (may not work)